Michael Page Seeks Big Names as UFC Contract Clock Ticks

Frustration Over UFC Matchmaking

Page, now 39, says the UFC’s fight‑booking process has become a source of continual irritation. On “The Ariel Helwani Show,” he described the struggle to secure top‑tier opponents as “quite frustrating” and likened it to a never‑ending series of excuses. He claims to have sent out roughly 30 potential matchups across welterweight and middleweight, only to be told that each intended opponent was already booked or injured. Even the current opponent, Nursulton Ruziboev, was not his first choice, echoing the same pattern seen with Sam Patterson earlier in the year.

Recent Fight Record and Strategy

Page entered the UFC in early 2024 and has compiled a 25‑3 overall record, with a solitary loss to Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision in June 2024. A decisive win over former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier came in August of the same year, followed by a decisive victory against welterweight prospect Sam Patterson last March. That win was celebrated in a photo that captures his post‑fight exuberance at The O2 Arena. In early 2025, he switched to middleweight and beat Sharaputdin Magomedov by unanimous decision, a bout that seemed to be an odd matchmaking choice at the time.

Contract Outlook and Future Goals

With one fight—against Ruziboev at UFC Paris in September—remaining on his current UFC deal, Page is eager to lock in a longer contract and a clearer path to a title shot. He wants the promotion to lay out an exact blueprint: which fighters he must defeat, how the belt can be reached, and a genuine commitment to larger names. The veteran fighter insists he is still fast, strong, and in prime condition, and he insists that his desire is not to leave the UFC but to be given a meaningful role within it.

The interview footage, which captures his candid remarks about the booking process, is available for viewers to hear his full thoughts:

Page remains optimistic that a resolution can be reached before his final UFC bout, hoping to leave on his own terms and secure a place among the promotion’s top contenders rather than fading into free agency with only one fight left on his current contract.